Sanguine
by Music Intuition
Summary: Heartbeat encounters, and all he gains or leaves behind are memories and scars. - Red.
1. Running to Stand Still

…

…

sanguine  
>Red and the six people who mattered most to him<p>

_his mother_

…

…

_and so she woke up  
><em>_woke up from where she was  
><em>_lying still  
><em>_said I gotta do something  
><em>_about where we're going_

She should have expected this from the beginning, from the moment that she first held him in her arms.

She stares out of an empty bedroom window, glances once at the open empty closet where his bike and his shirts and his shoes are missing. She ignores the bed, sheets still ruffled from the night's sleep.

He was Red. He was her Red, and now he's just another boy, left home with big dreams and little hands. She knows she won't see him until those hands are big and those shoes (and those dreams) are long since worn out. Then he won't be her Red anymore, all cynicism and regret and no youth and energy and desire.

She should have expected this from the beginning, from the moment his father did the same thing.

She makes herself a bowl of soup, the only food her stomach can tolerate right now. The rain outside the window rattles the tin siding on the house, and wind pulls at the gutters. The house is old, after all, and she thinks that perhaps she ought to fix it up sometime soon.

No wonder he'd fled. Living in this backwards little town in the middle of nowhere. He is destined for bigger and better things, and her time has already run out.

She wants to scream. No matter what, she's going to lose.

Not Red, though. Even at the age of ten, he's smart enough to see that all he's doing is standing still, here in this little town. (Not that the rest of the world will treat him much better, though, because even when you're at the top of the highest hill, you're always running just to stand still, just to breathe.)

She should have expected this from the beginning, from the moment he first laid his eyes on one of those creatures called a pokemon.

She stares at a photograph of the pair of them when he was younger and more innocent than he is now. Identical hair, identical eyes. If it wasn't for wedding photos and memories, she could swear that there had never been a father, that Red was just a miracle from one of the gods.

He's just like his father, though. None of the quiet compassion that she has. He's all movement and action and belief, with enough willpower to take on the world single-handed.

Now it's just her and this old house and the storms and the crackling from the radio as she hopes that he's somewhere safe, that he's happy, that he can survive the storms of his journey better than she did.

For the longest time, she only wishes that he would call. He never does.

She should have expected this from the beginning, from the moment he stepped out that door, all smiles and laughter, and disappeared, running, into the world.

…

…

_**Author's Note**: A six-part challenge to get my writing side flowing again. Each chapter covers a different person and is inspired by a different random song. The time limit for each was fifteen minutes._

_Nonpairing, but you can take them as you will. This is gameverse Red that we're talking about, for the record._

"_Running to Stand Still" by U2. Perfect for Red and his mother. _

_By the way, I don't own Pokemon (Nintendo does) or any of the songs (U2 does)._


	2. Sweetest Thing

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sanguine  
>Red and the six people who mattered most to him<p>

his maybe love

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…

_my love she throws me like a rubber ball  
>she won't catch me or break my fall<br>baby's got blue skies up ahead  
>but in this I'm a rain cloud<br>you know she wants dry kind of love  
>(oh, the sweetest thing)<em>

His kisses taste like candy and mint. But they aren't in love, no. Red's just the boy from next door, and they're ten (just ten) and they don't know what love is.

They play outside during the long hometown summers, along with that other boy. ("Red and Green," her mother remarked once, musingly; "How can you stand to be around both of them at the same time?" As if there's something wrong with that.) But he is the one who laughs the most, tickled pink by the sun and the sprinklers.

They don't stop to think often. They're all about kiss, kiss, run, laugh. He's never serious, and she rarely is. Meanwhile, Green's a bit of a buzzkill, because he's the most serious of them all. Ironic, isn't it?

Maybe they just don't want to think about how next summer, he wants to drop out of school and leave, and she wants to stay at home and learn how to wash clothes and do algebra.

They spend the year in denial. They forget all about what he's planning. He ignores that gut aching that says, 'Hey! Maybe you shouldn't hurt her. She's only a girl, after all. You don't hurt girls.'

And before she knows it, it's the second day of summer and they're in the shade under that big old maple tree next to the Oak's house.

"I'm in love with Green," she confesses, since Green is the one who took the time to tell her a decent goodbye, with a hug and a peck on the lips and everything.

He just laughs and says, "No you're not. Quit lying, Leaf," since he knows that they're still just kids and love's a thing from another time (the past? Or the future?).

She nods. After all, he's leaving tomorrow with a new best friend, and so is Green. She doesn't want him to go. Either 'him'.

After all, she doesn't know a thing about love.

She walks him home and stands awkwardly on his front porch as he waits for his mother to answer the door. She's waiting, too, since it was a lie that she told earlier (maybe) and she wants him to prove that… what? That there's something between them? That he's just been hiding something all these years?

Either way, he doesn't prove anything. His farewell is of the 'best friend' variety, a one-sided hug and a 'See you around' before he disappears.

Why does she get this feeling that she won't be seeing him around?

She smiles for him one last time, but when he's gone, so is she, and on the way home, she wants to curl up in her bed and never leave.

She doesn't understand a thing about love, but maybe in her own way she does. And she hopes she'll never come across it again.

Her mother finds her the next morning with swollen lines under her eyes, curled around the household pet and shivering. And she smiles, because she is the one that knows all about love, and that it would work out in the end, if the little girl could just have patience.

Isn't love the sweetest thing?

…

…

_**Author's Note**__: I said no pairings, but apparently there's some BurningLeaf and some implied OldRival. I'm not partial to either, but it did fit the song. So there._

_I don't really like this one, but there's nothing I can do, given the time limit. Hope you enjoyed it, regardless._

"_Sweetest Thing", again by U2. I don't own the song or the characters._


	3. I Will Follow

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sanguine  
>Red and the six people who mattered most to him<p>

his mentor

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_I was on the outside when you said  
>you said you needed me<br>I was looking at myself  
>I was blind, I could not see<em>

The Professor needs to see two boys. One is a boy he knows like the back of his hand. The other is his grandson.

Neither boy takes very long to arrive at the door to his laboratory. His grandson shows up first, impatient and self-righteous as always. That's how Green has always been, and his grandfather sighs and ruffles his already-messy hair.

Close behind, Red follows.

The details of the encounter fade over time. Oak can't remember quite what he said to the pair, just that both looked so eager and excited that they almost put aside that stupid rivalry they've carried on for a few years now.

The peace doesn't last long, though, and neither does Green's unbroken record; Red crushes him in the brief little battle that follows. Both seem utterly astounded by the outcome of the battle, because Green never expects to lose and Red never expects to win against Green.

Still, Oak is proud. Proud of Red, mostly, for figuring out that, yes, he _does_ have a talent, that he's not just a little boy, and that he can't rely on anyone but himself and his new pikachu anymore.

And, he supposes, he's proud of Green, too, for figuring out that perhaps Red won't be the one trailing behind him on this journey they're about to take.

Minutes go by and they're gone. Oak knows better than to offer advice to the beleaguered Red, or comfort Green about his petty loss just minutes ago. After all, he remembers his days as a youngster. And he knows that the only way for Red or Green to learn is to let them learn – alone. Follow in the footsteps of so many others.

No shortcuts in life.

Oak watches as Red and Green trace out his own footsteps. Gym after gym, fight after fight, tragedy after heartbreak after panic. Not once does he offer assistance or advice unbidden. They have his number, they know to call.

He knows they won't call, though. They are him, in essence. And Oak has never asked for help in his life. Why would they?

Green becomes Champion, followed by Red, who gives the spot back to the League (was it a hollow dream? Or was something else in play?) and Oak's proud of them both, even though he doesn't quite tell them. After all, he remembers his own Champion days, and Champion is not the most important goal in the world.

The boys will follow him to learn that some day.

For years, Oak may be the only one who knows what Red is doing, because he pays attention to the news and to the way the wind blows. Because he follows the ones he cares about. He follows Green too, but that's not so difficult since Green makes a big hullabaloo out of every single thing he does.

Red doesn't know it. Green doesn't know it. But Oak – like any good father figure, like any good mentor – has been following, helping, protecting, for years. They just have yet to see that.

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_**Author's Note**__: That was… interesting. Actually, in my opinion, it sort of sucked. I don't think I did a very good job of portraying how Oak feels about his grandkid and his hero. But, then again, it is a new perspective for me. Tomorrow's will hopefully be better._

_Whatever you think, please review and let me know! Same with last chapter. It's hard to know what to write, since I didn't get any feedback on that one. Hopefully this one will be different._

_Song was "I Will Follow" by U2. I don't own anything._


	4. Breathe

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sanguine  
>Red and the six people who mattered most to him<p>

his nemesis

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_sixteenth of June 9:05, door bell rings,  
>man at the door says if I want to stay alive a bit longer,<br>there's three things I need you to know... three!  
>coming from a long line of traveling sales people on my mother's side,<br>I wasn't gonna buy just anyone's cockatoo,  
>so why would I invite a complete stranger into my home?<br>would you? _

The kid is different. Giovanni knows that, and he knows that well after the kid walks into his Celadon base of operation, crushes the guards, defeats him, and states his name like a curse word on the tip of his tongue.

Red. Red is his name.

And the first time they meet, Giovanni gives him a fake Silph Scope and watches him go, puzzled. He wonders what exactly a boy can do.

It's only later when he realizes that Red swiped the real thing on his way out, headed over to Lavender Town, and ended operations there as well.

It's then that he calls a meeting with every single member of Team Rocket.

"We will not be defeated!" he tells them. "Your job is to make sure that this… this _punk_ of a kid doesn't get away next time! Train harder, move faster. Do whatever it takes!"

Of course, that doesn't work either, and in no time at all, Giovanni hears a quiet tapping on his office door and curses under his breath.

After all, Red's always been such a modest kid. Or something like that, he thinks, before the kid steps in, says nothing, and crushes him (again, again).

"Why are you doing this?" he asks, resigned, as he recalls his last battered Pokemon. "What do you have against Team Rocket? After all, we only look for the best in people."

That's the first time that Giovanni actually _sees _the childish look on Red's face, the uncomprehending puzzlement as he says simply, softly, "Team Rocket's bad. It's my job to get rid of bad people."

Giovanni, terrified, flees, bringing his young son with him.

The son, not realizing exactly what it means, accuses his father. "You're weak!" His voice, so much stronger and more piercing then his nemesis, is somehow also more childish. Red is wise, his son is foolish.

How can he value his enemies? He grieves then, hugging the boy and sobbing into his shoulder, "I know."

Silver runs away the next day.

By the time Red finally arrives at his gym, Giovanni is solid again, like the earth he's supposed to represent. Too bad Red crushes him into the dust. "I can't keep up," he finally admits to his face. "Team Rocket… maybe we are bad. But we were strong. But not anymore. We will disband, until we can be strong again."

And he disappears, before Red can leave and casually give away his hideout to the nearest police officer, as Giovanni knows he will.

By the time Team Rocket (and Giovanni, and his son) return, Red's just a legend. How can one destroy a myth? Of course, for whatever reason, Red's perfectly content with destroying himself.

"We're not so different, you and I…" Giovanni muses from his hideout in Tohjo Falls. Both fleeting, both keeping to themselves (because no one can help them in the end). On opposite sides of the equation. But do they balance each other out? Giovanni somehow doubts that.

But, since he _is_ returning, he grins maniacally before preparing to go to Goldenrod City. After all, Red isn't around any more. He can't do anything about Team Rocket anymore.

Maybe, with Red off his back, he can finally _breathe_…

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_**Author's Note**__: …at least, that's what Giovanni thought, until Ethan/Lyra showed up and kicked his butt._

_This one's different from the others, in my opinion. The first two were more musical, more introspective. Third one seemed to be P. Oak's thoughts on what happened. And this one, out of all of them, is the least derived from the song itself and focused more on Giovanni's plight, and how Red destroyed really everything that the guy had. Family, evil organization, career… really. _

"_Breathe" by U2. I don't own anything._

_I wonder if you can guess who the next chapter is about. Only two more, by the way.  
><em>


	5. Until the End of the World

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sanguine  
>Red and the six people who mattered most to him<p>

his rival

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_haven't seen you for quite a while  
>I was down the hole just passing time<br>last time we met was a low-lit room  
>we were as close together as a bride and groom<br>we ate the food, we drank the wine  
>everybody having a good time<br>except you  
>you were talking about the end of the world<br>_

Green remembers the good times, the times spent with Red and Leaf in the hot summer. Those were the days, the days when he didn't have to worry about a thing in the world except dancing through endless sprinklers and teasing his buddies like they meant nothing to him.

Things change.

In the last summer before they all split apart like dice from fate's hand, Red is pulling away from their little group and Leaf isn't acting quite the same. Perhaps it's the fact that they're all ten, eleven, twelve, and they all dream of different things.

Leaf wants a prince. Red and Green just want to be heroes.

Either way, they leave with those big dreams of theirs and head out to the road. For once, Green has a delightful head start born from long legs and a burning spirit that tells him to _go, go, go_!

And so he mercilessly crushes the gym leaders with that eevee of his, warning them about Red after each victory. He's not sure why he even mentions Red, except that Red is his former best friend (not sure what happened to that kid, but he changed) and former best friends get the attention that enemies and lovers get, because they know you better than either and can hurt you more than both.

By the time he gets to Lavender Town, Green's fought Red a few times, and he's frustrated. All that training, wasted, because even though Green's one step ahead, Red's behind him and that drives the kid like nothing else. And it's all for nothing, because now Red's won five times and Green's won no times.

He blames his Pokemon, at first, for being weak. Later, though, he realizes that, no, it's got nothing to do with them, because they still crush gym leaders, no trouble. He realizes it's him, and he does this by defeating everyone in the Team Rocket – controlled Silph Co.

He's halfway to the boss when he realizes that he's not the only one beating mindless minions in that building.

"Red," he sneers at his rival, then gets crushed again. _Good_, he tells himself. _Red's strong enough to take down the boss here. _He lies about having all the badges already, simply because Red will believe him. He leaves fast, because there's nothing else to do in the stupid building.

And the next time he meets Red, he's just reached his dream. And in ten minutes, Red has ended it.

Maybe it was a nightmare after all.

The good times are long over, Green decides as he goes to Pallet Town. There's nothing left for him. Sure, Leaf is there, but she was never really in love with either of them. And there's Gramps, another person who never believed in him.

He goes to Viridian City. He gets a new dream. He becomes the last one in line before anyone can go see Red (who's vanished into thin air, not that Green knows anything about Mt. Silver or anything like that).

Now it's just good times and bang, bang, try again, baby. Because you'll need more firepower than that to defeat a former Champion.

…

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_**Author's Note**__: Sad, really, the way Green and Red are to each other. Maybe it's just me. _

"_Until the End of the World" by U2. Go listen to it. It's a song about redemption of former friends. And it has some religious roots, if you're into that sort of thing._

_Last chapter coming up here, guys. Review? Por fave? _


	6. A Sort of Homecoming

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sanguine  
>Red and the six people who mattered most to him<p>

his protégée

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_and you know it's time to go  
>through the sleet and driving snow<br>across the fields of mourning  
>light in the distance<em>

Gold remembers the tales from when he was a little boy. The tales about a hero who started out with nothing but the shoes on his feet and the pokemon by his side. And from his childhood, he wants nothing more than to meet this hero of his.

He's the only one left alive in this little backwards town in the middle of nowhere, he believes. The only one left alive, besides a mysterious boy with red hair and an unachievable dream.

Gold bids his mother farewell and sets out on an errand that changes his life.

His life is a war from the beginning of his journey. He travels alone and speaks to no one, since his mother told him never to talk to strangers and everyone's a stranger when you're eleven and you only have a baby cyndaquil with you.

Meanwhile, all he dreams about at night is endless dirt and darkness and hail.

The world works against him, but he's lucky. "You're a natural," Lance tells him in Mahogany Town, as he prepares to challenge the seventh gym leader. "I expect great things from you."

So does Gold. Gold expects great things from Gold, and perfection isn't enough. He always wants more. More is the only way he'll meet his hero.

Little does he know, his hero wants only to meet him (or someone like him, someone strong enough to bring him home), waits only to challenge the next generation.

He becomes Champion, goes home for a day, then leaves again with only a brief couple of words with his mother. He should call her more often, but he's too busy for a social life. He doesn't think about breaking her heart (even though he _knows_ he is, he's always been such a sensitive kid) or leaving her behind.

None of Kanto stands a chance against him. Not even the Viridian City gym leader.

But Green does offer a few words. "You and him, the only ones ever to beat me…" he whines, almost nostalgically. "You should know… have you ever heard of Mt. Silver?"

Gold's finally found his dirt and darkness and hail.

He spends weeks looking for it. He spends days lost in it, and more days not lost but training, because his hero is worth every bit of experience he can get.

Red, he is called. (Or so Green says, and Green would know, wouldn't he?) Gold wonders if all heroes have unique names (he's a hero too these days), or if it's just something that he has in common with his personal hero.

Gold finds his hero on accident, when he decides to explore the summit in the middle of a snowstorm.

He's standing at the top of a snow-covered mountain wearing short sleeves and staring into the distance when Gold climbs over that last ledge and pants, "Ah-h, I've finally found you…"

Ten easy minutes and Red loses.

Gold looks shocked, more than anything else, then regretful. "I'm sorry!" he says politely, alarmed that in the first hour of knowing his hero, he's already committed the horrible crime of breaking a winning streak and defeating a perfect record. "I mean…"

"Nothing to be sorry for…" Red's voice is a hoarse whisper, words catching in his unused throat. "I can finally go home…"

Legend and child climb down the mountain together as equals, finally headed home to fix what never should have been broken.

…

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_**Author's Note**__: Well, there's the end of that! My first chapter story completed! That excites me. I hope you enjoyed it!_

_It always interests me, the views that everyone has on a legend like Red. So writing this from the perspective of a second long-time hero following in his footsteps is awesome. _

_Originally, the plan was to use gender-neutral terms and no name, so that any of the four Johto protagonists could be the protégée. Unfortunately, those are way too hard to use in a story without actually harming the content. So I rejected it and just used Gold. _

_The final song was "A Sort of Homecoming", also by U2. Another good one. A very sad, very good one._

_Please read some of my other stories! _


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